Skip to main content

Featured Post

Odisha Part 10: Bhubaneshwar – the city of temples

Bhubaneshwar is often called the city of temples . It is impossible to know exactly how many temples there are, but it has been estimated that there might be over 700 temples in the city. This number, while impressive, is just a fraction of the original number, which, sometime in the 13 th century, would have been about 7000. Wikipedia has a page dedicated to the Hindu temples of Bhubaneshwar , where 93 temples are listed. All these are ancient temples, built between the 7 th and 13 th centuries CE. Bhubaneshwar was once known as Ekamra Kshetra , the sacred mango grove. We know this name from an inscription at the Ananta Vasudeva temple, which mentions the name of the place, and the main temple (that we now know as the Lingaraja temple) in the mango grove. Ananta Vasudeva Temple, with a sculpture of Trivikrama in the niche It is extremely interesting to note that the Ananta Vasudeva temple is the only temple to Lord Vishnu in this city. Varaha, Ananta Vasudeva Temple Located v...
Post a Comment

How to bathe a sheep - a step by step guide :D

Yes, you read that right. This post is indeed about bathing a sheep. Not elephants, which we travel far and wide and pay to bathe! Not cows and buffaloes which we see bathing everywhere! But this post is about sheep. Have you ever bathed a sheep or seen someone bathing a flock of sheep? We did, while roaming around Dharamsala. The sight was captivating enough to make us want to stop, much to the surprise of our driver! What was so interesting about it? First, that they were bathing sheep! Second, it seemed so well choreographed, such a part of their routine, that each sheep went through the same process to end up thoroughly bathed!! So, do you want to know how to bathe a sheep? Read on......




  • Step 1: Collect your flock of sheep.  




  • Step 2: Find a suitable river, with enough flowing water. 



  • Step 3: Now for the actual bathing process. Catch hold of the sheep, by its tail. It certainly doesn't want to bathe, so this is not as easy as it looks! 



  • Step 4: Drag it knee deep into the river. 



  • Step 5: Hold on to its neck, tightly, with both hands, and dunk it into the water.



  • Step 6: Continue the dunking.



  • Step 7: Have someone keep an eye on the other sheep. They want to escape before their turn comes!



  • Step 8: Hold the sheep tightly, one hand around its neck, the other on its behind..



  • Step 9: Dunk the sheep completely into the water, head and all....



  • Step 10: Grab its legs and dunk it again! 



  • Step 11: Finally let it go! 



And just in case you have any doubts, here is a video for you.....



When we paused by the river to see the sight of the sheep bathing, it was to click just a single pic. The three of us - me, Shankar and Samhith - were so fascinated by the sight, that our halt turned into over 15 minutes, much to the consternation of our driver, and many, many photos and a couple of videos! It just emphasizes the fact that you never know what will capture your attention, especially when you are travelling. Yet, it is such mundane moments that sometimes stay with you, long after the trip has ended. As I sat writing this post, Samhith came up, peeped over my shoulder, and said "Oh, you are writing about the sheep? That was fun." There were so many more fun things we did, so many more interesting things we saw, and yet, this moment is something we all treasure. 

Which is why I always reiterate - keep you eyes wide open, and enjoy the small moments. You never know what will become a treasured memory! 

Special thanks to Sudha Ganapathy for suggesting the format for this post, which I had been struggling with for days :D



This post is part of my series on my #summertrip 2015, and I hope to take you along with me as I recount stories from my month long trip, which took me across the country. To get an idea of all the places I visited, and what you can hope to read about, click here.  

Related Posts:
  • The Himachal Series- 
Labels:

Comments

  1. Siddhartha JoshiJuly 7, 2015 at 11:14 AM

    Haha! This look like fun...I would like to bathe one of those sheep as well :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 8, 2015 at 9:27 AM

      I am sure you would have joined him, Sid! and you would have had a great deal of fun doing that too!

      Delete
  2. MridulaJuly 7, 2015 at 1:57 PM

    Ha ha not as easy as it sounded!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 8, 2015 at 9:27 AM

      certainly not, Mridula!! I dont think i could even approach the sheep!!

      Delete
  3. Delhi GopalJuly 7, 2015 at 9:13 PM

    Interesting effort. Keep it up !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Amrita DasJuly 7, 2015 at 11:36 PM

    This is hilarious! I could actually hear your voice narrating the post out to me while I laugh. I'll keep the steps in mind lest I need them when I volunteer next :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 8, 2015 at 9:28 AM

      Thank you, Amrita. you can add that to your mental list the next time you plan to volunteer :P and let us know how it goes!!

      Delete
  5. krishnaJuly 8, 2015 at 10:28 AM

    awesome.. i laughed a lot.. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 8, 2015 at 10:39 AM

      Thank you, Krishna! glad to have made you laugh :D

      Delete
  6. UshaJuly 20, 2015 at 7:26 PM

    That looked fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 22, 2015 at 8:27 AM

      It was, Usha! and would have been even more so had we joined in :P

      Delete
  7. RakeshSeptember 2, 2015 at 8:27 AM

    Hahahah! I was just trying to imagine you standing and watching over the entire ceremony with grim academic interest and, well... failing! :D

    Overall, the entire exercise sounds so funny! :D

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw...
10 comments
Read more

Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
9 comments
Read more

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.
7 comments
Read more